Boat flag-light mast



Sept. 5, 1961 H. A. COOK, JR

BOAT FLAG-LIGHT MAST Filed Nov. 14, 1958 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm m vmfi mmmm M mi an my p 5, 1 6 H. A. COOK, JR 2,999,149

BOAT FLAG-LIGHT MAST Filed Nov. 14, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.HERBERT ALTON COOK JR.

BY QLMQMKQWL United States Patient 6 2,999,149 BOAT FLAG-LIGHT MASTHerbert Alton Cook, Jr., '69 Pulsifer Drive, Auburn, N.Y. Filed Nov. 14,1958, Ser. No. 773,929 6 Claims. (Cl. 240-7.5)

. This invention relates generally to accessory apparatus formotor-boats, and has particular reference to a novel construction andmounting for a boat mast of the type that is adapted to support a flagand running light.

1 In inland and coastal waterways, mechanically propelled boats arerequired to carry a white stern light which is visible all around thehorizon at night, and the mast which supports this light is alsocustomarily used to support a flag during the daytime. In mostjurisdictions, this stern light must be located at the center of thestern of the boat which is where the motor or motors of an outboardmotorboat are also usually mounted. As a result, the mast for the lighttends to interfere with the motor mounting or operation, and the motorgets in the way of the flag so that it cannot fly freely as it should.

A further difficulty which has been encountered with flag and lightmasts that are properly mounted at the center of the stern is thatoutboard motors are continually getting larger and are being mountedhigher on the transom of the boat so that the motor frequently obscuresa part of the light. In addition, passengers in the stern seats, andsuch accessories as Windshields and canvas tops, all tend to interferewith the proper functioning of the mast light when the latter is ofconventional height and is mounted on the deck of the boat;

In order to eliminate the problems and difficulties men tioned above andalso to gain certain additional advantages to be described hereinafter,the present invention contemplates and has as its broad objective theprovision of an improved flag and light mast for an outboard motorboatwhich is constructed and arranged so as to redues to a minimum anyinterference between the motor and the flag or light carried by themast. In the embodiment of the invention disclosed, the mast isparticularly adapted for mounting on the motor itself although it can beas easily mounted on the boat, if desired. In this connection, referenceis made to the applicants co-pending application Ser. No. 716,432, filedFeb. 20, 1958, which pertains to the same subject matter. The earlierapplication discloses a mast mounting means for motorboats and isrelated to the present application in that said mounting means can, ifdesired, be used to support the mast to be described herein.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a flag and lightmast having a novel arrangement for supporting the mast in an oflset orraked position, such arrangement permitting the lower as well as theupper end of the mast to be free and also serving to position the flagand light above and to the rear of the motor so that they are well clearthereof.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a mast of thecharacter described having a releasably mounted auxiliary lamp in thefree lower end thereof for use as a trouble light.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a mast ofthe character described having a novel means for connecting the mast tothe hood of an outboard motor, the connecting means being arranged tohold the 'mast in the desired angular position in either the tipped downor tipped up position of the motor.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide a mastof the character described having an upstanding fiexible support memberso that the mast will be yieldable in the event that it is struck byanother object.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mast of 2 the characterdescribed which has an attractive and 1m,- usual appearance and, at thesame time, can be formed by economical extrusion or injection moldingmethods.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description thereof read in conjunctionwith theaccompanying drawings which illustrate a representative embodiment ofthe invention for the purpose of disclosure.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through the lower portion of a flag andlight mast embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through the upper portion of the mast;

FIGURE 3 is 'a side elevation of the lower portion of the mast showingits alternate mounting arrangement in the base connecting member;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the base connecting member showing thecover plate therefor; v

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of a-modified means for connecting themast to its flexible support link; and

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of the connecting means of FIGURE 5. i

Having reference now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbersdesignate the same part in each of the views, 10 indicates the principalcomponent of the mast which is an elongated, substantially rigid tubularmember of metal or plastic. The mast includes a sleeve 11 in which thelower end of the tubular member is telescopically received, the end ofthe member abutting against an annular shoulder 12 on a plug 14 that isfitted into the I sleeve as shown in FIGURE 1.

In accordance with the invention, the mast is connected in offset orobliquely disposed relation to the upper end of a flexible supportmember 15, the point of connection being slightly above the lower end ofthe mast so that the latter is free and unobstructed. With thisarrangement,

when the support 15 is held in upright position by a mounting means tobe presently described, the major portion of the mast will extendupwardly from the support in a raked or inclined manner. The mast andsupport are secured together by passing the upper end of the supportthrough an aperture 17 in the wall of the sleeve 11 and into anangularly disposed bore 18 in the plug 1 4, the parts being releasablyheld in assembled relation by a set screw 20 in the plug, see FIGURE 1.

The flexible support 15 comprises a hollow tube 21 having an angularlyofiset lower end 22 which is adapted to be received in a base member 24.Between the mast and base member, tube 21 is cut transversely asindicated at 25 and the meeting edges of the resultant tube sections areoppositely bevelled as shown to insure proper seating engagement andalignment thereof. A relatively heavy tension spring encircles the tubesections adjacent the transverse cut 25, and the ends of this spring arewelded under tension to the tube sections so that the latter arestrongly biased into endwise seating engagement although the support isbendable under sutficient force. With this arrangement, if the mast ishit by some object such as an oar, the support will yield and absorb theimpact thereby greatly reducing the possibility of breaking the mast ormotor hood on which it may be mounted. To prevent entry of water intothe tube 21, the tube and spring 27 are enclosed in a sleeve 28 ofrubber or plastic, which sleeve also serves to prevent clothing, etc.from snagging on [the spring.

The base member 24 is particularly adapted for connecting the support 15to an outboard motor having a hood as shown at 30 in FIGURES 1 and 3,although it can also be used to mount the support directly on the deckof the boat if desired. A short tube or nipple 31 depends from thebottom of the base member, and in the motor mounting shown, this nippleextends down through a is supplied to the bulb bore 32 in the motor hoodand is secured thereto as by nuts 34 which engage a pair of taperedwashers 35 positioned on the nipple directly below the hood. A secondpair of tapered washers 37 are mounted on the nipple directly above thehood, and these washers are rotationally adjusted before tightening thenuts to compensate for the curvature of the hood so that the bottom ofthe base member will lie in a substantially horizontal plane when themotor is in its tipped down position as shown in FIGURE 1.

The upper portion of base member 24 is formed with a pair of angularlyofiset bores 38, 40 which terminate at their lower ends in a commonchamber 41 in communication with the upper end of nipple 31. The bore 38is adapted to receive the lower end 22 of the flexible support and holdit in upright position when the motor is in its tipped down or operatingposition and, alternatively, the bore 40 is adapted to receive thesupport and hold it upright when the motor is in its tipped up orinoperative position, see FIGURES l and 3 respectively. Thus, the basemember makes it possible to support the mast in the proper manner at alltimes by simply transferring the mast from one bore to the otherwhenever the motor position is changed, the support being releasablysecured in the bores as by set screws 42.

In order to prevent the entry of water into the interior .of the basemember, the member is provided with a rotatable top plate 44 overlyingthe bores 38, 40, the plate having a single aperture 45 that is movableinto registry with whichever bore is to be used for the mast support 15,see FIGURES l and 4. Thus, the plate always covers the bore that is notbeing used and, in the event that the mast is removed from the basemember altogether, the aperture can be moved out of registry with eitherbore so that both are covered as shown in FIGURE 4.

The light assembly for the mast, generally indicated at 47 in FIGURE 2,includes a suitable globe 48 of glass or plastic and a conventional lampbulb 50 positioned within the globe. The globe is secured as by athreaded connection to the upper end of the mast, and the bulb ismounted in a bayonet type socket 51 that is fitted into the top of anupstanding cylindrical member or sleeve 52. At its lower end, thesleeves 52 terminates in a plug 54 that is detachably secured in themast as by a screw 55.

Current is supplied to the lamp bulb 50 through an insulated conductor57 the upper end of which passes through the plug 54 and terminates in aspring biased contact 58 that engages shown. The lower end of theconductor 57 is connected to a second insulated conductor 60 whichextends down through the flexible support 15 and terminates in a maleconnector or plug 61 at the lower end of the support, the plug beingreceived in a jack 62 mounted in the base member. As shown in FIGURE 1,there is a jack 62 mounted in each of the bores 38, 40, and these areconnected in parallel to a conductor 64 which passes through the nipple31 to the electrical system of the motor or other source of electricalcurrent. The return path for the current is through the bulb socketterminal, sleeve 52 and plug 54, mast, flexible support tube 21, andbase member 24 to a ground connection 65 if the mast is made of metal,or through a return conductor or metal strap (not shown) in the mast ifthe latter is formed of nonconducting material such as plastic.

In accordance with the, invention, a second light source is mounted inthe free lower end of the mast for use as a trouble light, see FIGURE 1.This second light comprises a screw type lamp bulb 67 mounted in asocket 68 which is received with a close sliding fit in a bore formed inthe lower end of the mast plug 1 4. Current 67 through a circuit inparallel with the top light circuit, the latter being divided where theflexible support conductor 69 connects with the conthe base terminal ofthe bulb as 4 ductor 57. At this point, conductor 60 also connects withthe inside lead 71 of a shielded cable which extends up through the mastto a small pulley or sheave 72 and then down through a longitudinal bore74 in the plug 14 to an insulated contact 75 adapted to be engaged bythe base contact ofv the bulb 67.

The conductors 60, 71 and 57 are connected together by a fiber screw 77at the upper end of the plug 14, which screw also connects a metal strap78 to the plug, the strap being insulated from the conductors by meansof a fiber washer 80. At its upper end, the strap 78 is electricallyconnected to the outer sheath 81 of the shielded cable which isconnected as shown at its other end to. the socket 68 for the bulb 67and thus forms a return path or ground side for the circuit to the bulb.

The pulley 72 over which the shielded cable passes is connected to oneend of a small tension spring 82, FIG- URE 2, which is anchored at itsother end as by a screw connector 83 to the plug 54 at the upper end ofthe mast. With this arrangement, withdrawal of the trouble light fromthe mast places the spring under tension so that it operates to returnthe light to its housed position after being released. In order toenable the trouble light to be temporarily secured in withdrawn positionwhile the user is working on the motor or the like, the socket 68 isprovided with a hook element 84 which also provides a convenient meansfor withdrawing the lamp. When not being used, the circuit for thetrouble light is opened by simply unscrewing the bulb enough to breakcontact as shown in FIGURE 1, the hook element 84 preventing completeremoval of the bulb by accidental means.

While the lamp 67 has been referred to hereinabove as a releasablymounted trouble light, it does not haveto be withdrawn from the mast toserve a useful purpose. Thus, the lamp in its housed position can alsoserve as a dash light for the motor controls during night operation ofthe boat. This does not violate regulations which permit the display ofbut a single stern light, since the light is shielded by the lower endof the mast and cannot be seen all around the horizon as is the casewith the top mast light 50. Therefore, there is no possibility that thelower light will confuse other boat operators, nor will the lightinterfere with the night vision of its own user.

FIGURES. 5 and 6 illustrate a slightly modified form of the inventionwhich provides for an angularly adjustable connection between the mastsupport and mast sleeve. To this end, the sleeve 11 is split at 85 andis formed with depending cars 87 on opposite sides of the split havingsegmental spherical recesses 88 for engagement with a ball 90 mounted atthe top of the mast support tube 21. This ball and socket connectionpermits angular adjustment of the mast relative to the support, and bytightening the wing nut 91 on the end of a screw 92 can tending betweenthe ears the mast will be retained in the desired position. However,since the connection is not so tight but that it will yield upon theapplication of a positive force on the mast, the ball and socket jointprovides an additional safeguard to the mast in the event that it is hitby another object.

As best shown in FIGURE 6, the ball 90 is actually mounted on a hollowtube 94 which passes through the center thereof, and this tube issecured at its lower end to the top of the mast support tube to providean en closed path for the conductor 60. The conductor, enters the mastthrough a hole 95 in the wall thereof, and to insure watertightness, aflexible rubber or plastic sleeve 97 encloses the conductor from theupper end of the tube 94 to a point in the interior of the mast asshown.

As mentioned hereinbefore, the construction of the mast enables it to beformed of plastic material by economical extrusion or injection moldingmethods, or, if preferred, all of the parts can be formed of metal. Ineither case, it will be apparent from the preceding description that thenovel construction and mounting of the mast result in outstandingadvantages over conventional arrangements, particularly with respect tosolving the problem of interference between the mast and an outboardmotor.

As will be apparent to those familiar with the art, the invention may beembodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit oressential characteristics thereof. The embodiments disclosed aretherefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative rather thanrestrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described for use with a boat havingan outboard motor, a mast for carrying a flag, 'a normally uprightresilient support for said mast, said mast extending upwardly from theupper end of said support in obliquely disposed relation thereto, saidsupport being detachably connected to said mast at a point adjacent tobut above the lower end of the mast, said lower end extending obliquelydownwardly below said point of connection, a base member for mountingsaid support on the outboard motor, said base member having a pair ofangularly offset holes formed therein either of which is adapted toreceive the lower end of said support with a sliding fit, one of saidholes being arranged to hold said support in upright position in thetipped down position of the motor and the other of said holes beingarranged to hold said support in upright position in the tipped upposition of the motor, and a rotatable cover plate for said base havinga single aperture movable into registry with either of said angularlyoflset holes to permit said support to be received therein, said platebeing operable to cover whichever hole said aperture is not in registrywith and to cover both holes when said support is removed from the basemember altogether.

2. In an apparatus of the character described for use with a motorboathaving an outboard motor, a flag mast, an upstanding resilient supportfor said mast, said mast and support being hollow with the interiorsthereof being in communication with one another, said mast extendingupwardly from the upper end of said support in obliquely disposedrelation thereto, said support being detachably secured to said mast ata point above the lower end thereof, a lamp mounted at the upper end ofsaid mast, electrical conductors extending through said support and mastto supply current to said lamp, a base member for mounting said supporton said outboard motor, said base member having a pair of angularlyoifset bores either of which is adapted to receive the lower end of saidsupport,

one of said bores being arranged to hold said support in upstandingposition in the tipped down position of the motor and the other of saidbores being arranged to hold said support in upstanding position in thetipped up position of the motor, and electrical connectors in both ofsaid bores for connecting said support and mast conductors to a sourceof electric current.

3. In an apparatus of the character described for use with a motorboat,a hollow mast adapted to carry a flag and a lamp adjacent the upper endthereof, a normally upright flexible support for said mast, said mastextending upwardly from said support in obliquely disposed relationthereto, said support being connected to said mast at a point adjacentto but above the lower end of the mast whereby said lower end extendsoblique- 1y downwardly below said point of connection, a lamp releasablymounted in the free lower end of said mast for withdrawal from same as atrouble light, resilient means in said mast and connected to electricalconductors in circuit with the lower lamp tending to return said lamp tosaid mast end after withdrawal therefrom, and means to supply electriccurrent to both of said upper end and lower end mast lamps.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 together with a hook element on saidreleasably mounted lower end mast lamp for temporarily securing the lampin withdrawn position.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said current supplying meansincludes electrical conductors extending from said lower end mast lampto a point in the upper end of said mast, and said resilient meanscomprises a tension spring anchored at its upper end at the top of themast and operably connected at its lower end to said conductors wherebywithdrawal of the lamp operates through said conductors to stretch saidspring.

6. In an apparatus of the character described for use with a motorboathaving an outboard motor, a mast adapted to carry a flag, a normallyupright flexible support for said mast, said mast and support beinghollow with the interiors thereof being in communication withoneanother, said mast extending upwardly from the upper end of saidsupport in obliquely disposed relation thereto, said support beingdetachably secured to said mast at a point adjacent to but above thelower end thereof, a base member for mounting said support on saidoutboard motor, said base member having a pair of angularly olfset boreseither one of which is adapted to receive the lower end of said support,one of said bores being arranged to hold said support upright in thetipped down position of the motor and the other of said boresbeing'arranged to hold said support upright in the tipped up position ofthe motor, a first lamp mounted at the upper end of said mast, a secondlamp releasably mounted in the free lower end of said mast forwithdrawal therefrom for use as a trouble light, electrical conductorsextending through said support and mast to supply current to said lamps,a spring anchored at its upper end at the upper end of said mast, theconductors for said second lamp extending upwardly in said mast forconnection with the lower end of said spring and then downwardly in themast to the lamp whereby withdrawal of the lamp from the mast operatesthrough the conductors to stretch said spring, said spring beingoperable to move the lamp back into said mast after withdrawaltherefrom, and

electrical connectors in both of said bores for connecting I said lampconductors to a source of electric current.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,498,533 Anderson June 24, 1924 1,893,585 Hogan Jan. 10, 1933 2,260,787Nichols et a1 Oct. 28, 1941 2,297,916 Sauer Oct. 6, 1942 2,299,683Curtis Oct. 20, 1942 2,753,443 Grohsgal July 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS631,480 Great Britain Nov. 3, 1949 731,697 Great Britain June 15, 1955

